polyol

1 7.9

A sweet ingredient used instead of sugar and to make foams and glues

noun
/ˈpɒliˌɔl/

Specialized

: poliol

Further trials should explore the role of fermentable soluble fibers that are FODMAPs: Fermentable Oligo-saccharides, Disaccharides, Mono-saccharides, and Polyols.

Examples

He and chemist R. Leo Cunningham demonstrated that these polyols could serve as alternative chemicals in the manufacturing of rigid polyurethane foams.

Academic text (1994)
Carr processed glycol glycosides with propylene oxide to form polyether polyols.

Academic text (1994)
Mannitol, like sorbitol and xylitol, is a commonly used polyol that serves as a low-calorie sugar substitute in many food products.
Sugar polyols such as maltitol and sorbitol are often included in sugar-free candies and desserts.
In manufacturing, polyols are essential for creating flexible polyurethane foams used in furniture and insulation.

Surface Forms

polyol singular

polyols plural

Morphology

polyol = poly + ol

This is a technical chemical term built from classical combining material, so an average learner would not be able to infer the meaning from the parts alone.

Etymology

The word polyol comes from Greek poly- meaning 'many' and the chemical ending -ol, as in the word 'alcohol'. So a polyol is a substance with 'many' alcohol parts, which is why polyols are used as sugar-free sweeteners and to make foams and adhesives.